There are plenty of things that can go wrong with your leather article. It might get cut, stitched, scraped, or any number of other unpleasant fates. Those kinds of situations can lead to permanent damage if they’re not handled properly and quickly.
Most methods that are used to fix leather tend to fall under the category of either repair or conditioning. Some techniques even do both at the same time! In this article, we’ll go in-depth on what is leather repair and all the different ways you can fix your leather clothing or accessories using different materials and methods.
What’s the difference between repair and conditioning?
Repair and conditioning are two very different ways of taking care of leather. Repair is a way of fixing a leather article that’s been damaged, whereas conditioning is a way of maintaining your leather to keep it in good shape over time.
Conditioning leather helps it stay soft and clean, which is important for protecting your clothes from stains and other damage. Conditioning your leather can help it last a lot longer, making it worth the investment.
Repairing leather, on the other hand, is usually done as a last resort when you can’t avoid damaging it anymore. For example, if your belt has a tear in it, you’ll want to repair it as soon as possible before it gets worse.
What Tools do I Need for Leather Repair?
When it comes to tools, you’ll need a few things to effectively repair your leather. First, you’ll need your repair materials, which can be anything from glue to dyes. Next, you’ll want to have some sandpaper on hand to smooth away any rough spots after you’ve finished the repair. Finally, you’ll want to have a good surface to work on, like a hardwood table or a desk. However, based on your article and the type of damage there are other tools that you need to use.
Using Leather Coats to Repair Leather
If your leather is too badly damaged to be repaired, then you might need to coat it with a new piece of leather. This is a little like what happens when you fix a tear in clothing with a patch. While you can buy leather patches at craft stores, you can also just use another leather piece to coat your damaged item. There are a few different types of leather that you can use to coat your article. You can use a vegetable-tanned leather, which is a light-colored leather that’s easy to cut and work with. You can also use a chrome-tanned leather, which is a bit sturdier and has a dark finish. Finally, you can use a bark-tanned leather, which is a lighter colored leather that has a more even finish.
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Repairs with Glue
Glue is a great way to repair small tears and holes in your leather that can’t be fixed with stitching or tack hammers. You can also use glue to reinforce weak spots in your leather, like around a scuff mark or a small tear. You generally want to use a two-part epoxy to glue your leather together. For small holes, you can mix the epoxy with a bit of sand to add a rough texture that’ll help it hold onto the leather better. For larger tears, you can cut a small piece of sandpaper to fit inside the tear. Once you’ve filled the tear with epoxy, press down on the sandpaper to help push the epoxy into the tear. This should seal it up as long as you don’t move the sandpaper around while it dries.
Using Drying Agents
It’s intuitive to waterproof your leather articles in the first place. However, if you’re dealing with water-damaged leather (which can happen if you get caught in the rain without an umbrella), then you’ll want to get a drying agent to get the water out as quickly as possible. You can find leather drying agents at most fabric or craft stores, and will help you get your leather back to normal quickly.
Another drying agent that you can use is heat. If you have a hair dryer or a heat gun, you can use them to quickly dry out your leather. Just be careful not to get too close to the leather or use it for too long if you’re using a heat gun.
Professional Leather Repair
If you’ve tried all of the above techniques and nothing has worked, or you’re worried that the DYI approach can further damage your article, then it might be time to call a pro. There are plenty of repairs that are best left to the professionals. For instance, if you have a large tear in your jacket or purse, a repair shop might be able to patch it up for you. If you have an old jacket that’s seen better days and has multiple tears, a repair shop can make it look new again.
Woodland leathers specialises in all kinds of leather repairs. Our leather repair experts in London, UK, can take care of all your damaged clothes with ultimate quality. If you want to give your leather item another chance to live, just fill out the form below so our experts can call you and tell you how we can help.
